One way to gauge cultural and ethnic diversity in Woodridge is by taking a good look around the Jewel store on West 75th Street.
Employees are careful to stock a wider variety of chips, salsa and taco fixings, suited to more discerning palates, before weekends roll around. Ditto for cilantro, mangos and the tamarind-flavored sodas popular in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries.
“If we don’t have plenty on hand, we’ll get wiped out,” said Ed Crespo, assistant manager of grocery. “We’ve been keeping an eye on how these products move, and it’s obvious they’re selling because of a big influx of Latinos in this area, not just because people want to try something new.”
With about 30,000 residents and a little more than 40 years under its belt, Woodridge is a relatively new kid on the block compared to its more established neighbor, Downers Grove. But its status as one of the most ethnically diverse towns in DuPage County has earned attention from neighboring officials who are also trying to promote diversity and attract younger residents to fill myriad newly created entry-level jobs.
According to data released by the village and based on the 1990 census, Woodridge’s population is about 84 percent white, 6 percent African-American, 6 percent Asian and 4 percent Hispanic. It’s also on the young side, having reported a larger proportion of children under 5 than did the rest of the county 10 years ago. Village Administrator John Perry predicts the 2000 census will reveal that Woodridge’s population will rise by at least 2,000 residents, many likely to be minorities.
To attract and retain new, young families, Woodridge officials have focused on two primary goals: the creation of a wide range of housing options — from starter homes to $450,000-plus estates — and the development of events and programs designed to encourage residents to get to know their neighbors. In the last two years, the village has cleared the way for construction of nearly 200 single-family houses and town homes; the median cost of a home was $140,000 last year. The village also followed the lead of several other communities nationwide by implementing “Study Circles,” a curriculum designed to help residents identify, resolve and promote issues most important to them. Among the results of the focus-group discussions involving more than 120 residents have been more villagewide community events; a string of outdoor concerts in the town center and a back-to-school party are scheduled for the summer.
“The village has so many assets, but diversity and community pride in particular,” said John Lockerby, a management analyst for the village who helped coordinate Woodridge’s Study Circles effort. “The two have definitely merged into something great.”
While Woodridge’s efforts are admirable, officials in other towns are quick to point out that the village has youth on its side. By contrast, Downers Grove, which is 98 percent white, was founded in 1873. And today, nearly half of its residents are empty-nesters who have lived in their homes almost as long as Woodridge has been in existence. Those aren’t sour grapes coming from officials in Downers Grove — just an understanding that they’ll have to employ a different strategy to attract youth and diversity.
“This is such a stable community that six and seven generations of families live in the same houses for decades,” said Steve Rockwell, Downers Grove’s director of economic development. “Downers Grove is not on its surface or by intent exclusionary, but at the same time, the village isn’t going to knock on the doors of people who have been here for 20 or 30 years and say, `All right, we need for you to move out to make way for someone new.’ “
Given its stable housing stock, Rockwell said Downers Grove is working hard to become a melting pot at least by day by attracting a variety of businesses that will in turn recruit a diverse workforce. About 170 businesses opened last year, and the village is on pace to top that number this year, Rockwell said. The new businesses moving into town run the gamut between skilled and unskilled labor, everything from a string of high-tech companies such as Microsoft to restaurants. The village is even seeking to diversify its workforce. In the last three months, Downers Grove has hired two Hispanic police officers and an African-American director of code enforcement.
“I see myself as a link between the (police) force and the community,” said Javier Guzman, one of the new police officers. “People who don’t speak English will know that I’m here, and that I can help them get their stories across to police. That’s the kind of service people appreciate and really notice.”
Rockwell predicts that Downers Grove will become increasingly diverse as its housing market slowly opens.
“One thing is for sure,” Rockwell said. “We’ve found that people who have reason to come here love it and want to stay.”
